All about Bank PO Exams

Bank PO exams are conducted by banks that wish to recruit officers. This is one of the best ways for graduates to enter the field of banking. Probationary officers, as the name suggests, work on probation for two years during which they undergo extensive on-the-job and off-the-job training and get to learn the nuances of banking. The PO’s performance during these two years decides his next allocation. Bank PO exam is conducted whenever the need for fresh recruits arises in banks. POs take on managerial responsibilities later. The exam is not tough if one has been regularly preparing for it.

Details of Bank PO Exams Exam

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is an autonomous body that implements world class processes and systems of assessment and selection of personnel for various client organizations, conduct relevant supportive research and publicize the findings. IBPS has acquired a unique distinction of being a premier national level Institute for employment testing, admission testing, training and research; related to selection and management of human resources. Working on international testing models like the ETS model, the Institute conducts a wide spectrum of activities in personnel selection both for promotion within and recruitment and selection from outside the organization. Its various verticals include Client Relations, Design and Analysis, Research and Development, Processing and Technology Operations and Support Services. It also has its own technology infrastructure for data ware house and processing. It has state-of-the-art printing facility that is capable of printing over 100 thousand data booklets and answer sheets per day. The Institute has the capability of testing simultaneously as many as 1 million candidates in 2000 venues across 200 centers (cities) in one session.

IBPS conducts an online examination for selection of personnel for Probationary Officer/ Management Trainee posts in its Participating Organisations in the month of October.

Any eligible candidate who aspires to join any of the Participating Organisations listed below as a Probationary Officer/Management Trainee or in a similar post in that cadre is required to register for the Common Recruitment Process (CWE PO/MT-IV).

Candidates who are shortlisted after taking the examination are subsequently called for a Common Interview to be conducted by the Participating Organizations and co-ordinated by the Nodal Bank with the help of IBPS.

Participating Organizations:

Allahabad Bank

Canara Bank

Indian Bank

Syndicate Bank

Andhra Bank

Central Bank of India

Indian Overseas Bank

UCO Bank

Bank of Baroda

Corporation Bank

Oriental Bank of Commerce

Union Bank of India

Bank of India

Dena Bank

Punjab National Bank

United Bank of India

Bank of Maharashtra

ECGC

Punjab & Sind Bank

Vijaya Bank

Bharatiya Mahila Bank

IDBI Bank

Any other bank or financial institution

Bank PO Exams Exam Eligibility Criteria

The aspirant must be an Indian national

The aspirant must have completed his/her graduation with from a recognized University/institute to be able to apply

The aspirant must be computer literate to be eligible to apply

The aspirant must be above 21 years of age and must not be more than 30 years of age.

How to Prepare for Bank PO Exams Exam ?

The written test is a cakewalk for those who have been preparing for competitive exams like CAT, XAT etc since the areas tested remain the same. The difficulty level is less for the PO exam. The method of preparation too will be similar. There are a lot of good books on Data Analysis & Interpretation and Reasoning in the market which have numerous solved and unsolved questions for practice. Marketing & Computers is a relatively new area being tested in the PO exam; books for the same are also easily available. For quantitative section, practice is the key. One must be thorough with the basics of mathematics especially till Xth Std. Prepare topics like algebra, profit loss, percentage etc. Apart from class X textbooks, some of the reference books are Sultan Chand publications’- Quantitative aptitude, Abhijit Guha, R.S. Agarwal & R.K. Gupta. To score well in the general awareness section, one must keep themselves abreast with the current affairs. Make reading the newspaper a daily habit. GK books like the Manorama yearbook also are of great help.